best option for backing up PC

[Chickadee]

can I use CD-RW to back up? If not what is best option please? Using Windows XP home.

Thanks to vehelpfulguy - that article was very helpful and I am now able to back up!!

[vehelpfulguy]

You can use CD-R or CD-RW (or even DVDs)

I would say that a CD-RW is NOT a good idea as files can be deleted from a CD-RW. If you have just backed it up the last thing you want is to accidently delete it off the CD.

I use CD-R because once on a CD-R it cannot be deleted.

Call me over cautious but I always back the same thing up to TWO CDs, in case one gets lost, damaged or corrupt (which can easily happen).

[vehelpfulguy]

If you are going to start making regular backups it is important to have a simple backup strategy.

There is not point in backing up everything in your "My Documents" folder one week, then backing it all up again the following week (or month), particularly if it has not been changed.

If you do that you just finish up with the same thing backed up over and over again.

The main thing to help with making back ups is:

Keep ALL your personal files in the "My Documents" folder.

Dont be tempted to keep them on the desktop (which is NOT in the My Documents folder), or in any other directory outside of My Documents.

Keep all personal files in the one place - "My Documents".

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[vehelpfulguy]

I would also suggest not putting all your personal files on to one single CD.

If you put them all on the one CD, and do that over a number of months or years, finding anything afterwards would be a nightmare.

I would suggest, for example, keeping one "set" of CDs JUST for digital pictures.

Download them off the camera, back them up to CD (make 2 copies), check they have been backed up correctly, then delete them off the camera.

If you backup your pictures as soon as you download them you do not need to make them part of your regular backup process (as you know they have already been backed up).

Number these CDs DP01, DP02, DP03 etc (DP is for Digital Pictures)

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[vehelpfulguy]

You can keep another "set" of CDs JUST for your music files. You could number these MP01, MP02 etc

You can keep another "set" of CDs for personal files (word documents etc). You could number these BU01, BU02 etc (BU is for backup)

Having these 3 "sets" of CDs makes finding something later a lot easier.

If it is a digital picture you want look on the digital picture CDs, if it is a music files, look on the music files CDs, and if it is a personal file look on the personal files CD.

I have about 50 CDs at home, made over a number of years, with backups of the files from all the members of the family.

Each time I used to backup everything to the single CD, but soon learnt that splitting them up into various groups made it a lot easier to organize, and to find things afterwards.